Top 10 Original Thriller Movies Of The Past Decade

10 Best Original Thriller Movies From The Past Decade

Perfidia Beverly Hills aiming a rocket launcher in close-up in One Battle After Another

By Kevin Pantoja Published 28 minutes ago Kevin Pantoja is a writer and editor at Screen Rant based in New York City, where he brings deep expertise in blockbuster franchises ranging from Harry Potter and Spider‑Man to Succession and the MCU. A passionate storyteller with a creative writing degree (Valedictorian, Full Sail University), Kevin blends entertainment news, feature essays, and pop‑culture commentary into engaging, audience-first content Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

This past decade has been a great time for original thriller movies. That said, it's still difficult to find original thrillers because so many, like with all genres, are based on existing properties. They are great sequels, remakes, and book adaptations, meaning the original thrillers can get overlooked.

Some of the most famous thrillers since 2016 have come from existing IPs like Conclave or The Handmaiden, while others veer off into other genres like Get Out and some are sequels like Twisters. However, these are completely original and were all among the best released in the genre over the past 10 years.

Juror #2 (2024)

Juror #2 Nicholas Hoult looking forward in a close up shot

One of the most recent great original thrillers is Juror #2. Directed by the legendary Clint Eastwood, this movie tells a unique story about a man serving on the jury for a murder trial only to realize that he's actually responsible for the victim's death.

That sets the tone for an uneasy film as we sit with the protagonist, who we know is wrong, and squirm with every decision he makes. He also has a baby on the way, further complicating matters as he doesn't want to be in jail when she's born.

Juror #2 was met with strong critical acclaim and sits at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, while making many year-end top 10 lists. Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J.K. Simmons, and Zoey Deutch make for a very strong cast who all put in quality performances.

Saltburn (2023)

Oliver and Felix chatting on the grass as Elspeth lays behind them sunbathing in Saltburn.

Oliver, Felix, and Elspeth sunbathing in Saltburn

Not many original thrillers have taken the world by storm the way Saltburn managed to. So many aspects of this film went viral, from a wild couple of sexual scenes to the naked dance scene involving Barry Keoghan that helped "Murder on the Dancefloor" become a hit two decades after its release.

Emerald Fennell's original film is set in Oxford and follows a student who becomes obsessed with a popular fellow student and gets invited to spend the summer at his family's estate. While there, he gets involved in all sorts of uncomfortable situations with various family members.

You never quite know what's coming next in Saltburn and that's half the fun. The performances are strong all around, with Jacob Elordi leading the way, while the film ended up nominated for five BAFTAs and two Golden Globe Awards.

Thoroughbreds (2017)

Amanda looking to her right while Lily sits in the background in Thoroughbreds.

It's always great to look at a movie from a few years back and see actors who were on the cusp of breaking out. That's the case with Thoroughbreds, which features Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke before they broke out in the likes of The Queen's Gambit and House of the Dragon, respectively.

The plot of Thoroughbreds centers on rich high school student Lily (Taylor-Joy) and her emotionless friend Amanda (Cooke), who work together on a plan to kill Lily's stepfather. Along the way, they also get help from a drug dealer, played by Anton Yelchin in his final role.

Thoroughbreds wasn't a big hit and is mostly a hidden gem of an indie film. However, critics were pleased with it, evidenced by its 87% Rotten Tomatoes rating, and it's a great film to watch for any fan of the two talented lead actresses.

Decision To Leave (2022)

Park Chan-wook is one of the most acclaimed South Korean filmmakers in history, thanks to his work on the Vengeance trilogy, Oldboy, and The Handmaiden. An argument can be made that The Handmaiden is his best film but it was at least inspired by a 2002 novel.

Decision to Leave is Park Chan-wook's first film since The Handmaiden and is an original story. The story follows a detective who investigates the murder of a man, only to grow close to the man's wife, whom he falls for and is also a suspect.

Like most of Park Chan-wook's projects, Decision to Leave was met with widespread acclaim. It holds a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for several major awards, including at the BAFTAs. There are shocking thrills around every corner, keeping the audience hooked from start to finish.

Promising Young Woman (2020)

Carey Mulligan as Cassie dressed as a nurse in Promising Young Woman.

Carey Mulligan as Cassie in Promising Young Woman

Before directing the aforementioned Saltburn, Emerald Fennell made her directorial debut with Promising Young Woman, which she also wrote. The film centers on Cassie, a woman who goes on a quest for vengeance after a traumatic event in her past changes her.

Cassie's best friend was raped and killed by men and nothing was done about it, triggering her to start targeting similar men throughout her life. Promising Young Woman holds nothing back and delivers some major thrills that you never really see coming.

Carey Mulligan delivers what might be the best performance of her career, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. The film was also up for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, proving how special this original thriller is.

Anya Taylor-Joy looks shocked in The Menu

Although it might not be the most thrilling of the original thrillers listed here, The Menu is a fantastic film that blends genres so well. Along with the thriller aspect at its core, The Menu also includes elements of comedy and horror.

The Menu is about a group of people who come together on a remote island to eat a lavish meal designed by a famous chef, only for each passing course to reveal more surprises. They include personal attacks on the customers, people being hunted, a suicide, and more.

The best thing about The Menu might be the stellar cast, as Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, and Ralph Fiennes all deliver standout performances. Both Fiennes and Taylor-Joy got nominated for acting at the Golden Globes, while the film received very strong reviews.

Uncut Gems (2019)

Adam Sandler holding up a necklace in Uncut Gems.

Uncut Gems kind of came from out of nowhere to blow people away. By the time 2019 rolled around, people seemed to assume that Adam Sandler was just going to make them laugh in movies that received poor reviews, so they weren't expecting this kind of performance.

Sandler was so good in Uncut Gems that many believe he was snubbed for an Oscar nomination. The film centers on a jeweler in New York City who gets deeper and deeper into gambling debt to the point of danger. Each scene where he takes a new bet ups the stakes and tension.

The Safdie Brothers became major sought-after filmmakers after this indie hit and it's believed to be the best performance of Sandler's career. LaKeith Stanfield, Idina Menzel, and even former NBA All-Star Kevin Garnett all put in quality acting that boosts the overall film.

Anatomy Of A Fall (2023)

Samuel's (Samuel Theis) outside of a shed in the snow as Sandra (Sandra Huller) and Daniel (Milo Machado-Grener) look on in Anatomy of a Fall

A body outside of a shed in the snow in Anatomy of a Fall

Along the same lines as Juror #2, Anatomy of a Fall is a legal thriller, except this one also works as a psychological thriller. The film focuses on a writer who is out to prove her innocence when her husband dies a mysterious death that stems from a fall.

Anatomy of a Fall makes sure that the viewer is never quite sure what's going on. Even as we watch the trial unfold and see flashbacks of the main relationship, we are never certain how the husband died, if the wife is guilty, and we never know who is lying.

Sandra Hüeller was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards and delivered a powerhouse performance. Anatomy of a Fall was nominated for three other Oscars, including Best Picture, and it took home the award for Best Original Screenplay.

One Battle After Another (2025)

Bob angrily yelling into a payphone while pointing at his own chest in One Battle After Another

The most recent original thriller on this list is One Battle After Another. From acclaimed director Paul Thomas Anderson, this movie feels unlike anything else he's previously made and, outside of watching Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood, it's his most thrilling project.

One Battle After Another focuses on an ex-revolutionary turned stoner who is thrust back into a dangerous world when he and his daughter become the targets of a corrupt military officer he has a past with. Anderson's direction adds so much to an intense story.

The way the climactic chase is filmed makes it all the better and will have your palms sweaty. However, he also knows how to make sure there's just enough comedy, often stemming from Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro, to keep it light. The scene stealer, however, is newcomer Chase Infiniti.

Parasite (2019)

The Kim family in Parasite

It's kind of hard for any movie to top the history that Parasite made and how much of a rousing success it was. From director Bong Joon-ho, Parasite tells the story of a poor South Korean family who infiltrates a wealthy family by any means necessary.

The premise may sound simple enough, but the way things unfold never goes the way you expect, making for a fantastic movie filled with twists. Parasite was critically acclaimed to the point where it sits at a whopping 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and did something that hadn't been done at the Oscars before.

Parasite ultimately won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, which hadn't been done by a non-English movie in the history of the ceremony. It also won Best International Feature Film and was named the best movie of the 21st century by The New York Times.

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